Girl kidnapped at birthday party while dad helped choking woman, Texas officials say
.jpg "Damien Dre Gonzales pleaded guilty to kidnapping a girl at a birthday party in Levelland, Texas, while her father was helping a choking woman, authorities say.")
A Texas man admitted to kidnapping a girl at birthday party while her father was distracted by a choking woman, authorities say.
Damien Dre Gonzales, 27, pleaded guilty to taking the 9-year-old away as her father helped the woman at the party in Levelland, a city west of Lubbock, authorities say. He was charged in a Texas federal court.
At the party in August, Gonzales talked to the girl about buying her a hamster, according to court documents. Later, as attention turned to the woman’s emergency, Gonzales lured her away by asking for help carrying beer to his car, documents say. Once outside, Gonzales encouraged her inside the vehicle and drove away, authorities say.
The girl’s disappearance set off a frantic search.
After watching surveillance video of her leaving with Gonzales, the party-goers called 911, authorities say.
About the same time, police learned of a car parked in the middle of a street several miles from the party.
Gonzales had hit a mailbox and stopped in the road, authorities say. While parked, he sexually assaulted the girl by removing her clothes and touching her, authorities say.
As police arrived to investigate the parked car, they discovered the girl inside and Gonzales with an unbuckled belt and unzipped jeans, authorities say. Several women from the party arrived at the scene while police searched the car.
“The women were emotionally overwhelmed, crying and appeared terrified,” documents say. “When one of the women took (the girl) into her arms, (she) began crying heavily.”
Then the girl’s stepfather arrived and tried to attack Gonzales, but police stopped the fight, authorities say.
Gonzales could go to prison up to 20 years to life, according to the plea agreement.
According to jail records, he is facing five charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The charges include sexual assault of two other girls under 13 years old, KCBD reported.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Girl kidnapped at birthday party while dad helped choking woman, Texas officials say."